Forrest Gump – that legendary fictional figure played so admirably by Tom Hanks – said it best. “Stupid is as stupid does.”

That pretty much describes the antics that went on in North Bergen recently. How could anybody be so stupid as to order North Bergen municipal workers – still on the time clock – to serve as campaign workers in other towns?

That’s what James Wiley is asking people to believe after he pleaded guilty to having workers from the township Department of Public Works perform work on his private home.

By default, if you are talking North Bergen, there are only two people with enough clout there to actually authorize campaign work in other towns: Mayor Nicholas Sacco and Schools Superintendent Frank Gargiulo – neither of whom are stupid enough to pull a stunt exactly like Wiley alleges they did. This is not to say that they might still have used the workers during off-hours for campaigns, but they know the game by now.

“If you’re going to send workers to help in campaigns – which happens all the time,” one knowledgeable source said, “you have them clock out and they become volunteers.” This wins them a lot of favor with their own political bosses, since they are giving up their own time to help win the cause of an ally.

Wiley’s accusations must have come as a shock to Sacco and Gargiulo, who had just promoted one of Wiley’s sons in his position within the school district.

Sacco is rumored to be supporting the other son, West New York Commissioner Count Wiley, in his bid to recall West New York Mayor Felix Roque and become mayor himself.

Many believe the Wiley accusations may be part of an emerging political war between Sacco and his arch enemy, Union City Mayor Brian Stack. The two have been butting heads over a number of issues, but their feud goes back to a failed plot years ago in which Sacco allegedly attempted to prevent Stack from running for state Senate in favor of then state-Sen. Bernard Kenny. But it’s all been downhill from there, and many bad things were said that won’t be forgiven any time soon.

Political attacks in the age of social media

Rumors also put Sacco behind a host of anti-Stack moves inside Union City, where new social media websites are popping up like mushrooms with titles containing such words like “honest government,” or “anti-corruption.” In general, most of the information contained in them appears to be rising out of one source who has been feeding media the anti-Stack tips for a while, and may indeed be generated out of the Sacco camp or at least with Sacco’s blessing. But Stack may have the last laugh if reports out of Trenton are to be believed. Several sources, including some media outlets, claim Sacco is in Republican Gov. Christopher Christie’s “cross hairs,” meaning that Sacco is a political target – partly generated over Wiley’s so-called revelations, partly to help Christie’s ally, Stack, and partly to keep the Democrats unsettled going into Christie’s reelection next year.

The question is: can Stack bring down Sacco before rumor mongers start a political civil war in Union City with the aim of getting rid of Stack?

Weehawken rumors rehashed

Rumors that Richard Turner will not seek reelection as mayor of Weehawken in 2014 have been grossly exaggerated, sources say.

“As of two weeks ago, he said he intended to run,” a source close to Turner said.

This may be part of yet another misinformation campaign that is being launched early in order to raise hopes for a handful of anti-Turner activists that have been unable to wrestle control of town government from him over the last few elections.

Why did you wait so long?

This column stated back on Aug. 19 that Carol Marsh would be resigning her seat on the Hoboken City Council. But she waited a whole month to make it official, suggesting that this was a deliberate move to avoid having a special election in November, leaving the choice of a replacement to a City Council, divided 4-4, on which Mayor Dawn Zimmer would cast the deciding vote.

This is nothing new. Zimmer’s problem is whom to replace the very competent Marsh with. The list of names is very long, but not the list of those who will actually get enough votes to get the seat. School Trustee would have been on the short list but apparently is opposed by Councilman Peter Cunningham. Very long shots for the position would be former councilmen Michael Lenz and Tony Soares. Phil Cohen would be a good choice, but he has a very active legal practice that might get in the way. Jake Stuiver is also rumored, but also problematic for some of the City Council members. Jim Doyle and Eric Kurta are names some suggested might be considered.

Zimmer opponents in disarray

Although replacing Marsh will take center stage for the moment in Hoboken politics, the school board election in November will be hotly contested, as the tag team of former Trustee Frank Raia and Councilwoman Beth Mason work hard to have their slate of Move Forward candidates win over Zimmer-backed Kids First. On that same ballot will be the referendum question asking voters to decide if Hoboken municipal elections will be held next year in May or November, an often-cited excuse as to why no Zimmer opponent has come forth yet. In reality, Zimmer opponents are in disarray, as they argue over which candidate has the best chance to beat Zimmer, who in fact may well be virtually unbeatable.

Councilman Michael Russo is not running for mayor, but could help decide who will, and is hard pressed about it, since he will likely need Raia to retain his own 3rd Ward seat, but may see Assemblyman Ruben Ramos as a better shot to challenge Zimmer.

Raia wants to run for mayor, apparently, and with Mason, has had fairly frequent meetings with State Sen. Stack.

HobokNeedsReform: despite your grammar skills, a lot of your points are accurate. I do not think Roman will have the courage to ever answer them. The comments on the mistersnitch blog were very interesting. Thank you for the enlightenment.

Don't know about the last comment. However, seeing that here means this may be a good place to leave my own which has been twice deleted from nj.com today. Since they keep deleting I will leave it here and maybe now we can discuss it there.

It is in response to Roman. Roman, it's about time I said this. You have a lot of nerve calling yourself pro Reform over and over when you are doing things that appear corrupt and then you ally yourself with the mayor to pretend to be Reform. Reform is about actions not words Big Hoss. Not liking Michael Russo and Beth /Mason does not automatically make you a Reformer even though you want to believe you are. And those two are the only topic of your blog. You believe you know who everyone is who criticizes you and that is likely one reason you are in legal trouble, for calling them out improperly and letting your commenters tarnish reputations without fact checking. I am sure you think you know who I am. You do not sir.

Why is it that you claimed you're lawsuit would stop free speech? You write as often as ever. The only thing you are not doing anymore there is lying about L.B. Which is good, right? Because lying about someone and trying to harass an entire family out of town is wrong no matter WHO does it. If it's wrong for anyone else to do it it is certainly wrong for you to do it. S Look at yourself and what you have done, pull your head out of your universe in which your fellow bloggers tell you you are doing fine. Maybe the lawsuit set you on a Reform road for a moment when you had lost your way, by getting you to at least stop lying about one person; but what about the others? Not everyone has the legal means to sue when you lie about them. They do not want to be attacked worse which is what happens if they try to stand up for theirself. And if they take it up with you instead of suing then they just become subject to more anonymous comments and posts from others. It becomes almost daily harassment and they are powerless That is why even non political people are afraid now, and these are not all Old Guard people

By the way why should anyone have to 'ask you" for lies to stop? Who are you? Because your motives have become financial you need to post daily even if that means making it up and calling anyone corrupt in order to get more people to your site each day. It is a business now, You have waged a campaign to get people to stop reading Patch and the HR based on information that is not even remotely likely to be true. Disgusting. please see mistersnitch.blogspot.com for more on your antics.

It's embarrassing. About that suit. You seem to be saying over and over that LB is a political operative yet I have never heard you once say that what you posted about him is the Truth. Are you saying it is ok to lie about someone if they are a political person? What evidence did you have for your post's? Why haven't you shared it? Can you share it now? Please post it on your web site if it is true. Otherwise you hurt a family because of rumors or revenge.

Your page is meant to criticize an increasing number of people in town no matter what they believe and you try to make everyone think they are corrupt. Dislike Roman's blog and he will write about you until you want to leave town. Did L really move to Edgewater like you said? Not true. Did P go to Vermont? Not true again. Will you start writing correct information? Not likely. Also you let your commenters' lies and slurs hang out there. If you are going to use your blog as your main job and an income source then treat it like one and get some stones to operate it properly. It is not Reform to lie in order to get what you want. If someone is corrupt you should be able to have some facts around it.

You have turned what started out to be a Reform tool your blog and made it into something fit only for Hoboken's corrupt past. If the internet had been around during Anthony Russo you might have been the first hire. There is hope since you claim to care about Reform. If someone leaves a comment that may be untrue or harassing about someone personally, or saying something about someone that you do not know is true, grow a pair and confirm it with the target or delete it. If someone so much as mentions your name on another site you pitch a fit. Same goes for Nancy too. Why?

It is not censorhip to stop harassment and bullying and slander and lies. You are so afraid of what people will will say to you if you start acting responsible. If you are going to be in this mess then you have to get some stones. Set some real rules like Patch, NJ.com, even HR even if that means people get irritated and call you names like you have done to others. All you do these days is tear down anyone who disagrees with you or poses any sort of challenge to your blog. Sounds familiar? You are becoming perry 411.

Remember when Perry was on Dawn's side and Peter Cunningham hired him to design the web site? Perry probalbly would have gotten city contracts if his bias had stayed with Dawn right? But since it didn't, you all forget all of the chumminess. You had no complaints about 411 then.

Your site has become entertainment Feel free to respond to my questions here without insults or attacks on my wife or looks or telling me you think you know who I am. No one deserves to be attacked on the internet where you can't remove it even if they are wrong or and go too far. Hoboken seems to have gotten a lot nastier and not for the right reasons, not because you are attacking Corruption. You are bringing us all down by allowing cyberbullying and lies and what seems like stalking. Besides people who disagree with you any press that you see as competition is subject to lies when real Reform should encourage information to get out. You now believe these are biased : Star Ledger, Patch, HR, Fox, NJ.com, Journal. Anyone who writes a story with anything that is not completely pro the mayor. I believe there is hope for you but not if you continue down this Perrylike road in order to make your business work.

Notice I am not telling you to stop shedding liight. Someone else has given me ideas for some of this and in fact it is correct.

Recently Patch had to remove a Seigel story because of errors. Seigel corrected one of them. One of your readers pointed out more that stand uncorrected. Errors happen almost daily on your website, if someone is really corrupt you should be able to write about them without lying.

I emailed this to a few of my neighbors as well as the press because it has been deleted from NJ.com. I got some responses that shaped what I am putting here, incluing two reporters have responded to ask me about it. I suppose I wil post it as well.

Some of what you post doesn't even make sense anymore. Take an extra day and start backing up what you write. Instead of posting just to post every day why not do some fact checking and make the time,. Maybe you will make less money but you can look yourself in the eye again.

It would be stupid if the mayor's husband is logging in for hours to leave internet comments trying to indimidate anyone who dares criticize his spouse. As well as intimidate the press from doing fair coverage. It would be stupid to bring down an otherwise good administration by trying to cyberbully the few honest watch dogs of city hall in Hoboken. That would be real stupid.